Beijing was steeling itself for a first-week assault from Donald Trump. That hasn’t happened — yet — so Chinese leaders are making nice and hoping to cut a deal.

The President, who has suggested that the U.S. take on 50 percent ownership of TikTok, hinted that potential tariffs on China will be closely linked to whether such a joint venture is approved. “If China didn’t approve it,

President Donald Trump said tariffs on China could depend on whether there’s a deal for TikTok. He signed an executive order allowing the popular video app to continue to run in the U.S. for 75 more days.

It’s not yet known how Donald Trump will resolve TikTok’s complicated legal limbo, but what does seem clear is that the fate of the social media app is increasingly linked in the president's mind to his top issue of tariffs.